Unexpected Controller Reponse

[sanders2222]

I set up some Insteon controllers (Dimmer 2477D) in a vacation home and recently added under cabinet counter lighting.  You know, the kind that has LED light bars powered by a low voltage wall wart and controlled with a small remote. 

To get the power for the lighting strips, I added a 2477D switch on one side of the kitchen and ran a wire up to a duplex outlet on top of the cabinets (see photo).  On the other side of the kitchen I just added an Insteon outletlink (2472D) on the top of those cabinets.

Well, the switched side worked fine with these observations with the dimmer switch at any on position:

• 2 wire feed from Wall wart transformer had to be connected in one direction only or LED's did not light (Low DC voltage?).
• LED remote could turn LED's on or off, and even allowed 2 dimmed settings (e.g. 20 & 50 %)
• The 2477D had no effect on diming the LEDs but could turn them on & off (provided remote had them on)

OK, in retrospect I should've used an ON/OFF switch, but hey, this is working!

With the switch on AND the outlet on, the remote controlled lighting on both sides of the kitchen.  That stated sometimes only one side lite up and you had to push the remote button off/on several times until they were again synced. 

The problem I do not understand involves setting up the Insteon devices to control the lighting.  After linking the outlet to the switch, I found I could turn on the switch and both sides would light up.  Only for a second though as the 2472D outlet would turn off.   I would have to manually turn the outletlink back on for that side.  Weird huh?

I recently added and ISY controller and confirmed devices were linked correctly.  Then I set up a WAF workaround so when you press the dimmer, this program runs:

Cabinet Lights On - [ID 0002][Parent 0001]

If

        Control 'Kit Cabinet 31.4F.F6.1' is switched On

    And Control 'Kit Cabinet 31.4F.F6.1' is not switched Off

 

Then

        Repeat 2 times

           Wait  2 seconds

           Set 'Kit Outlet 24.10.02.1' On

 

Else

   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

Now the lights can be controlled by the wall switch and although the lighting on the other side goes off, it comes back on after a few seconds and STAYS on. 

I remember someone responding to an earlier post explaining how LEDs liked square waves and dimmer switches produced sine waves  (my headache is returning).  And then there’s the low voltage thing.  OMG!

Maybe someone has a better explanation of what may be happing and if there’s a better fix.

[Brian H]

You have a 2477D controlling an outlet? If you do that is against the Electrical Code and illegal. If someone plugged in a loads not compatible with a dimmer. It can be damaged or worse. Including a low voltage wall wart.

The wall wart in the photo is a universal switching type. 100-240VAC and 50/60 Cycles.  It most likely is still trying to output the 12VDC even with the dimmers modified AC. Even at 100% On there is some modification of the AC into it.

I would change the 2477D to a 2477S switch type feeding the outlet. Seems to work with a 2477D is not safe.

 

The 2474D is a two wire switch. Steals power through the load. Made for incandescent loads only. If you have a wall wart being controlled by it.The current needed to run the 2474D through the load. Will cause it to turn the wall wart back ON even if it is Off. By the current running the 2474D.

 

 

 

 

[oberkc]

I cannot help but suspect also that the dimmer outlet is a problem in this case.  My approach, however, would be to temporarily unplug the cabinet lights and add a dimmable load and temporarily disable the program.  Does the outletlinc stay on?  If so, I would treat this as conclusive.

While I would replace the dimmer outlet regardless, another factor: ramp rates and ON levels.  Are they set to zero and full?